Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Dalton Prout skated in 65 games for OHL Barrie in his first full season with the Colts after splitting the previous season between Barrie and the Sarnia Sting. Prout had 6 assists and was third on the Colts with 98 PMs. He finished the season with a -11 plus/minus as Barrie finished third in its division and reached the OHL playoffs despite finishing under .500. In the five-game series with Mississauga St. Michael's he had 1 assist and 10 PMs with an even plus/minus.

2009-10: Prout had a coming out party in his fourth junior season. He skated in 63 games for the Barrie Colts, scoring 7 goals and 14 assists for 21 points along with 121 PIMs. He skated in 17 playoff games with 1 goal, 6 assists for 7 points and 20 PIMs.

2010-11: Prout returned to the OHL as a 20-year-old and began the season skating with Barrie before a mid-season trade to Saginaw. After going from the Colts, who would finish with the OHL's worst record, to eventual West champion Saginaw his offensive scoring pace and ice time dipped but Prout was able to play more of a two-way game. He scored 7 goals with 14 assists and was -8 with 55 PMs in 23 games with Barrie. In 29 games with the Spirit he scored 2 goals with 8 assists and was +5 with 44 PMs. Prout played in all 12 playoff games and had 2 goals and was +2 with 27 PMs as the Spirit reached the second round.

2011-12: Prout played five games with the Blue Jackets last year, but didn’t leave a lasting impression with no points scored. In Springfield, he tried to rebound and tallied 13 points (nine assists) before the season's end.

2012-13: Prout emerged as a reliable defender during the Blue Jackets' push for a Western Conferency playoff spot after being re-called by Columbus at the beginning of March. Seeing limited ice time early on, Prout frequently played over 20 minutes a game down the stretch along with partner Nikita Nikitin. In 28 games he had 1 goal with 6 assists and was a team-high +15 with 25 penalty minutes. The Blue Jackets finished tied with Minnesota with 55 points but missed out on the final playoff spot due to fewer regulation wins. Prout had 1 goal with 8 assists in 40 AHL games with Springfield and was +4 with 73 penalty minutes. The Falcons finished first in the Northeast Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. In six playoff games Prout had 1 assist and 14 penalty minutes with an even plus/minus.

Talent Analysis

Prout is a tough guy, who has no problem dropping the gloves. He has improved his defensive positioning and has no problem clearing out the crease.

Future

After getting his call to the NHL, Prout was able to make himself stand out and stick around. He is a very good complementary stay-at-home defender and should stick around as a bottom-four defenseman.

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Photo: Winger Sean Collins is one of several big-bodied forwards in the Blue Jackets system. Collins was drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Jason Mowry/Icon SMI)

The Springfield Falcons, the AHL affiliate for the Columbus Blue Jackets, are once again fielding a strong group of players and are at the top of the AHL's Northeast Division. Springfield is loaded with NHL quality prospects, many of whom have already seen some time in Columbus.

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Photo: Forward Marko Dano is one of three forwards the Columbus Blue Jackets selected in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft. Dano is currently playing for Bratislava Slovan of the KHL. (courtesy of Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images)

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Photo: Kerby Rychel is one of three forwards the Columbus Blue Jackets selected in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft. Rychel was selected 19th overall. (courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Despite recently graduating a large number of players to the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets continue to have a well-stocked system. Led by a trio of talented goaltenders and a slew of high-end defensive prospects, Columbus' future in its own zone looks bright. The Blue Jackets have tons of promise offensively too, with forwards Marko Dano, Alexander Wennberg, and Kerby Rychel among the newest members of the prospect pool.

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Photo: The 2nd overall pick in 2012, Ryan Murray’s 2012-13 season in Everett was cut short by a shoulder injury (courtesy of Derek Leung/Getty Images)

The Columbus Blue Jackets were eliminated from playoff contention on the last day of the season when the Detroit Red Wings picked up their 24th victory to bring its point total to 56. Despite coming up a point short from its second trip to the playoffs, the new look Blue Jackets exceeded expectations after adding depth forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov from New York. A mid-season trade brought Marian Gaborik over from the Rangers and the star winger finished with 27 points after posting 19 with New York.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have a ton of depth along its blue line with a prospect class led by players such as Ryan Murray, Mike Reilly, and Dalton Prout. Its defenders seem to be improving consistently and its undersized forwards keep getting quicker. Cam Atkinson and Boone Jenner lead the playmaking forwards with quick routes to the net and crisp passing. Columbus’ prospects awards shed light on some of the key players who we could see dominating the NHL in a few short years.